India sees a surge in COVID cases; WHO says situation a huge concern

India in a day recorded 3,26,098 COVID cases that took the tally to 2,43,72,907, while 3,890 new fatalities pushed the death toll to 2,66,207, according to Union Health Ministry data updated on Saturday (May 15), PTI reported.

The active cases have reduced to 36,73,802 and comprise 15.07 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has improved to 83.83 per cent, it stated.

The number of people who have recovered from the disease has increased to 2,04,32,898, while the case fatality rate stands at 1.09 per cent, the data showed. This is the fourth time in the last five days that recoveries have outnumbered daily cases.

India’s COVID tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7 last year, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19 last year. The country’s case tally crossed the two-crore mark on May 4.

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According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 31,30,17,193 samples have been tested up to May 14 with 6,93,093 samples being tested on Friday (May 14).

The World Health Organization has called the situation in India “hugely concerning”. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned on May 14 that the pandemic’s second year will be “far more deadly” than the first for the world. He said the WHO is responding to the COVID surge in India and has shipped thousands of oxygen concentrators, tents for mobile field hospitals, masks and other medical supplies.

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Maharashtra on May 14 reported less than 40,000 cases for the first time since March 31. The 39,923 new cases have pushed the state’s caseload to 53.09 lakh. Nearly 80,000 people have died due to virus-related complications in the state since the pandemic began.

The situation in Goa remains serious with reports saying that one of the oldest crematoriums located in Margao city had to construct four additional platforms and dedicate three of its existing ones to cater to people who have succumbed to the virus.

West Bengal registered its highest single-day spike of 20,846 fresh COVID-19 cases on May 14. The number of deaths rose to 12,993 after 136 more people, including five well-known doctors, died due to the infection, said the state health bulletin.

Sikkim has announced a lockdown from Monday (May 10) for a week. It is the third state in the North-East, after Mizoram and Nagaland, to impose a lockdown. A dozen states, including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh, have more than 1 lakh active COVID cases.